Fuel injection system



June l, 1965 v. FUKA 3,186,395

FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM original Filed sept. 18. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll/11111111111.

INV EN TOR.

E TTORNEYS June 1, 1965 v. FUKA 3,186,395

FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM Original Filed Sept. 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY A United States Patent O 3,156,395 FUEL INIEC'HN SYSTEM Vaclav Falsa, 313% Campbell, Madison Heights, Mich. Application May '7, 1952, Ser. No. 192,842, now Patent No. 3,124,111, dated Mar. 1li, 1964, which is a division of application Ser. No. 133,300, Sept. 18, 1961, now Patent No. 3,101,701, dated Aug. 27, 1%3. Divided and this application Sept. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 312,751 3 Claims. (Cl. 123--139) The present invention relates to a new and improved fuel system and combustion chamber arrangement for an interna combustion engine particularly of the two-cycle type, and is a division of Serial No. 192,842 Fuka, tiled May 7, 1962, now U.S. Patent Number 3,124,111, issued March 10, 1964, which is in turn, a division of Serial No. 138,860 Fuka, tiled September 18, 1961 and now Patent Number 3,101,701 issued August 27, 1963.

As in all two-cycle engines, the suction or intake and compression portions of the cycle occur during the last part of the downward movement and most of the upward movement of the piston, While the combustion and exhaust portions of the cycle occur during the last part of the upward movement and most of the downward movement of the piston. The basic advantage of the two-cycle engine being in the matter of cost as a result of which it is frequently used in boat motors, lawn mowers and other relatively small power applications.

Heretofore, it has not been economically feasible to utilize a fuel injection system with an inexpensive twocycle engine. Accordingly, the operating cost and performance advantages of fuel injection have not been available with such engines.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive fuel injection system for a two-cycle engine and further to utilize such fuel injection system with a unique combustion chamber design which results in a two-cycle engine giving improved economy and performance.

In general, the subject fuel injection system includes a fuel inlet valve adapted to openly communicate with the combustion chamber and which valve is responsive to combustion chamber pressure to open to a predetermined extent and in so opening to provide a metered quantity of fuel to the combustion chamber. At the same time, the fuel inlet valve is disposed proximate a spark plug member which cooperate with a uniquely formed piston head to insure that air flow will cause the injected fuel to dow in the direction of the spark plug.

In the present invention the cylinder and piston heads are especially formed to provide a small combustion chamber when the piston is in its uppermost position so as to initially permit the combustion of a relatively small charge proximate the spark plug.

In the present invention the air throttle ordinarily used in carburetors is eliminated and power is regulated by controlling the admission of fuel to the engine. This arrangement is possible by applying the so-called stratified combustion method which permits burning of small fuel charges in the proximity of the spark plug independently of the overall air-fuel ratio. The two-cycle engine is especially suited for this method of combustion because the scavenging air forms a stream carrying the injected fuel toward the spark plug.

The present invention also lends itself to the use of a secondary combustion chamber of small size proximate the fuel inlet valve and spark plug for burning very small fuel charges such as are used during the part load operation. This latter feature is possible in two-cycle engines because of the particular forms of piston head construction needed to promote the scavenging of burned gases.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a simple fuel injector requiring no rotating drive members and readily adaptable to any individual cylinder to permit complete interchangeability of such injector between any of the cylinders of a multi-cylinder engine.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a perusal of the detailed description which follows considered in conjunction with the illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a portion of an engine embodying the subject invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view through a cylinder head showing the disposition of the fuel injector and spark plug as Well as the combustion chamber contiguration;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View along line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2 showing the details of the fuel injector;

FIGURE 4 is a view along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the combustion chamber and piston head construction as seen from the view of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a partially sectioned view of cylinder;

FIGURE 7 is a modification of the fuel control arrangement of the fuel injector.

Inasmuch as an important aspect of the present invention relates to a unique fuel system utilizing the stratitied combustion cycle, it will be well to briefly describe such cycle and its advantages. The stratilied combustion cycle (also called throttle fuel cycle) is a method of producing a combustible charge in an internal combustion engine by injecting fuel into the proximity of the spark plug at the time of ignition or very slightly before. In this way, only a small part of the charge may be combustible, the main portion of it being compressed air. No attempt is made to obtain the uniform mixture, to the contrary, a pre-combustion chamber is frequently used separating the combustible part of the charge from the air. This kind of Working cycle has important advantages: (l) extremely small charge can be burned; (2) no air throttle is necessary; (3) accurate fuel distribution in multi-cylinder engine is of secondary importance; (4) no cold starting or running problem; (5) no transient condition problem; (6) complete combustion possible due to excess of air during partial load operation; (7) improved overall economy by about 30% with gain as high as 42% at small engine loads being theoretically possible.

Whereas the carburetor type engine cannot use a leaner air-fuel mixture than 16: 1, and this only when the engine is warm, in stratified combustion cycle mixtures as lean as 50:1 are practical and as lean as 115:1 have ben obtained experimentally. In carburetor type engines, light load is obtained by filling the cylinder with air only in part and adding proportionate quantities of fuel sufficient to create a combustible mixture usually in the 14:1 or 12:1 range. This is equivalent to lowering compression ratio during part load operation and results in a considerable drop in the overall efficiency.

In the stratified combustion cycle, however, the cylinder gets full air charge at any engine load and only the injected fuel quantity determines the power output. There is no air throttle. The engine works all the time at the maximum compression ratio for which it was built. This is similar to the diesel cycle known for fuel economy. The stratified combustion cycle is suitable for any size of engine and results in economy at partial load. At full load, there is no particular advantage against carburetor operation. Large engines, however, such as are in cornmon use today, particularly in America, would be especially benefited .by such a system because they operate practically all the time at partial load. Further, because this combustion cycle normally operates with an excess of air, it should be contaminating the atmosp-here to a considerably lesser degree than engines with canburetors.

While the present invention may be utilized with any small two-cycle engine, for present purposes it is shown as applied to-an outboard engine partially indicated generally at in FIGURE l. Engine 1&9 includes a fuel tank 12 having a iiller cap 14h Fuel is adapted to feed by gravity through a U-shape pipe arrangement including a rst leg 16 and a second leg 18 which terminates in a portion disposed generally above the fuel level in the tank 12. This arrangement provides a venting arrangement in the fuel supplying pipe to prevent any air o-r vapor pockets forming in the system. Thus, the left branch or pipe 16 brings fresh fuel to the injectors indicated generally at 20, while the upper part of right pipe 1S permits venting of vapors into the space above the fuel in tank 1t?. A common valve 22 is adapted to shut off fuel flow in both pipes 16 and 18 when the engine is shut down.

Engine cylinders 24 are aligned and connect with the fue-l supply system through injectors Zit.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, engine cylinder Ztincludes 'a dome shaped cylinder head 26 to which fuel injector Ztl and spark plug 2d are secured in close proximity so as to communicate with the combustion chamber space defined by the cylinder head and the upper portion of piston 30.

Being a two-cycle type engine, each cylinder includes the conventional air intake and exhaust ports 32 and 33 in the side Wall thereof as shown in FIGURE 6. As is common, through a portion of the downward travel and at the beginning of the upward travel of piston 3@ both the air intake and exhaust ports are open together for a sho-rt interval which permit-s the fresh air to completely scavenge the exhaust gases from the combustion space. As piston 30 moves upwardly toward cylinder head 26, the intake port 32 is out olf before exhaust port 33 since at the end of the working stroke the exhaust port must open first.

To facilitate scavenging of the exhaust gases from the combustion space at the end of the Working stroke of piston 30, the piston head is provided with a projection 34 which includes a steeply inclined face 36 proximate the air intake port side of the cylinder and a gradually sloping back Wall 38 which causes the fresh incoming air to be directed upwardly along the cylinder wall to scavenge and exhaust the expanded gases through the exhaust port on the opposite wall of the cylinder. A rib 4t! runs .across projection 34 perpendicularly to the top surface of the piston and generally aligned with the direction of travel of air through the combustion space.

Rib tu lits with a slight clearance into a cavity 42 provided in cylinder head 26. The space between rib 4t) and cylinder head `wall cavity 42 defines an auxiliary combustion chamber 4d which is in immediate and proximate communication with injector and spark plug Z8.

Injector 2li includes a pair of casing members 46 and i8 suitably secured together, as through studs 49, to peripherally clamp a heat resistant diaphragm 5t) therebetween. The lower casing 43 includes an externally threaded portion 52 adapted to be threaded within opening 54 of cylinder head 26. Upper casing 4u includes an internally threaded portion 5o adapted to receive a fitting 5S connected to fuel line 18. Fuel line 18 includes an opening d@ which communicates with a longitudinal passage 62 formed in fitting 58 and through which fuel is adapted to be supplied to the injector.

A plunger 64 is centrally secured to diaphragm Sti which seats against a frange 66 and is lclamped thereto by a threaded collar member 68. Plunger 64 is slidably supported in casing 46 and 4S.

The inner or combustion chamber end 70 o-f plunger 64 is slidably supported in portion 52 of casing 48.' Casing portion 52 internally includes a plurality of longitudinally extending and circumferentially spaced splines 72;.

Splines 72 have several functions the rst of which is to permit the pressure in the combustion chamber to be transmitted to chamber 74 defined by diaphragm Sti and casing 48.

Radial passages 76 formed in the casing face of flange 66 permit splines to freely communicate with diaphragm chamber '74. Plungcr 6d is urged in a downwardly direction or toward the combustion chamber by a spring '73 one end of which seats against plunger collar 68 and the other end of which seats against a spacer 80. Spacer Sit, in turn, seats against a countenbored portion 82 of casing 46 through a seal member 84, Thus normally, face $6 of plunger flange 66 seats against surface 88 of chamber 74. l

Elunger 64 is hollow and slidably supports therein a valve member including a stem portion 9@ and a head portion 2. Stem 9d is supported upon a bearing surface 94 formed within plunger 64 while convex head 92 is adapted to seat against a concave seat 96 formed in the inner end of plunger portion 70. Plunger 6siis counterbored at its outer end to provide a recess 9S in which one end of spring 16B@ seats. The other end of spring lil@ biases valve 96-92 toward closed position through a dise spring seat member 102 which is loosely secured to the outer end of valve stem 90. .Thus spring 1lb@ tends to cause Valve head 92 to seat against the inner end of plunger seat 96 and prevent fuel ow therethrough. The outer end of plunger 64 communicates with a fuel chamber 104 which is adapted to be supplied with fuel from conduit or pipe 18 through a ball check valve 106 biased against the inner end of fitting passage 62.

Valve stem 9@ has one or more longitudinally extending recesses 1% formed in the periphery thereof through which fuel chamber 1M is adapted to communicate with bore 11o of plunger e4. In this way, fuel is adapted to olw from chamber 1M through recesses 198, counterhore 11o and into the combustion chamber when valve Qtr-92 is opened.

As piston 3@ moves upwardly in cylinder 24, the pressure transmitted through splines 72 to chamber 74 will eventually build up to .the point where the force of spring `'78 is overcome thereby moving plunger 64 outwardly. The outward movement of plunger 64 will cause bail check 1% to seat in which event the fuel pressure in chamber `1M will overcome spring 1190 and open valve `9th-92 permitting fuel to flow into the combustion chamber.

The quantity of fuel ow through valve 919-92 is directly proportional to the amount of outward movement of plunger est. The amount of plunger movement is, in turn, controlled by a manual fuel lever 112. Lever 112 is xed to a shaft 114 rotatably supported in casing 46. Shaft 11d includes a cam member 116 fixed to the inner end thereof and disposed within casing 46. A stop surface 113 is formed on plunger collar 65 in alignment with cam member y116.

Thus the outward or pumping movement of plunger ed is limited by the distance between stop surface 11S and the cam member 116. This distance is variable by rotating lever 112 to align a different portion of cam member 116 with surface i113. Thus, if the lowest portion of cam 116 is aligned With stop surface 11S, the maximum distance is provided between the cam and the stop surface in turn permitting maximum travel or pumping action of plunger 64. Under this condition the maximum quantity of fuel will be pumped into the combustion chamber. To reduce the quantity of fuel supplied to the combustion chamber, and hence the power output of the engine, cam 1,16 is rotated to move the cam surface closer to stop surface 118.

After the mixture has been ignited and the piston is moved downwardly through its work stroke, the pressure `in the combustion chamber will be decreased `to the point where spring 73 will once again move plunger 605 inwardly causing surface 86 of iiange o6 to seat against casing 48 and permitting spring 100 to close valve 90-92. ThiS inward or closing movement of plunger 64 will cause fuel in line 18 to be drawn in through passage 62 past ball check valve 106 to once again fill chamber 184 with fuel in preparation for the next pumping stroke.

Thus the present injector without utilizing rotatably driven parts, camshafts, etc. permits a timed and metered quantity of fuel to be injected into the combustion chamber in accordance with operating demand as manifested by the position of fuel control lever 112.

Inasmuch as diaphragm 50 is subjected to high temperature gases and air pressure, such member must be made of a material which can resist such conditions. Accordingly, diaphragm 50 may be made of any suitable material such as stainless steel, beryllium-copper or the like.

To further reduce the deleterious effect of heat on diaphragm 5t), the use of the splines 72 in casing portion 52 substantially increases the surface area to which the hot gases are exposed in passing into chamber 74. By increasing the surface area over which such gases pass heat is better dissipated to the surrounding casing structure.

Briefly the operation of this device is as follows: As piston 30 starts upward movement in cylinder 24, the air which replaces burned gases from the previous working stroke is gradually compressed. This pressure is in turn transmitted to chamber 74 acting on diaphragm 50 to overcome the force of spring 78. When spring 78 is overcome, plunger 64 begins moving into the fuel chamber 104. This will occur near the end of the compression stroke. The motion of plunger 64 into fuel chamber 184 will compress spring 100 causing fuel to be forced past valve 98-92 into the engine combustion chamber. The pumping stroke of plunger 64 is adjusted by rotation of control lever 112. By suitable shaping of cam 1.16, lever 112 can also be rotated to a position in which the cam abuts against surface 118 to stop fuel delivery altogether by preventing any movement of plunger 64.

It is apparent that by changing the strength of spring 78 injection timing can be changed. This can be done by varying the thickness of spacer 80 or by providing a `suitable mechanical arrangement permitting the spring force to be varied during normal operation. This latter alternative is the subject of the modification shown in FIGURE 7 and which will now be considered in detail.

Referring now to FIGURE 7, an arrangement is shown in which the fuel control lever 120 is made of a slightly different shape. |In this case lever 120 is pivotally mounted at 122 and includes a cam surface 124 formed at one end which is adapted to vary the space between the cam and collar surface 126 to regulate the amount of travel of plunger 64. In this instance, previous spacer 86 is replaced by a collar 128 slidably disposed relative to plunger 64. A lever 138 is suitably pivoted at 132 to casing 46 and includes one end 134 adapted to bias against collar 128, The other end of lever 136 is articulated through a link 136 to fuel control lever 120. In this manner, as fuel control lever 128 is moved to vary the amount of plunger travel so is the force of spring varied in some predetermined relationship.

The modification of FIGURE 7 is important in that in stratified combustion engines, of the type herein disclosed, in which a separate pre-combustion space is utilized, it is sometimes diflicult to obtain as good full power output as in a conventional carbureted or fuel injected `type engine. In controlling the force of spring 78 simultaneously with plunger stroke adjustment, a relationship is established such that when injection fuel volume is smallest the force of spring 78 is the highest.

In this Way, when small load and lean mixture is used, fuel injection will take place with the engine piston in a very high position and with piston rib 40 disposed in cavity 44. This arrangement will permit the ignition of very small fuel charges. On the other hand, when higher load is needed and larger fuel volume is injected, the lesser force of spring 78 will permit earlier fuel injection with rib 40 not yet disposed in cavity 44. The engine will then operate more like any conventional combustion engine using a fuel-air mixture in a proportion permitting satisfactory ignition and burning.

It is apparent that various structural modifications may be made in the subject invention within the intended scope of the invention as set forth in the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. A charge forming device for an internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder, said cylinder including a head portion coacting with said piston to form a combustion chamber, an opening for-med in said cylinder in communication with said combustion chamber, and a fuel injection mechanism disposed in said opening, said yfuel injection mechanism comprising, a pair of casing members, an elongated plunger slidably supported proximate its ends in said casing members, diaphragm means secured to said plunger, said diaphragm being exposed to the pressure in said combustion chamber, spring means urging said plunger to a seating position against the force of combustion chamber pressure, a fuel chamber, said plunger including ends respectively terminating at said combustion and fuel chambers, a longitudinal passage formed through said plunger and communicating said fuel chamber with said combustion chamber, valve means substantially longitudinally coextensive with and movably disposed within said longitudinal passage and normally biased to a position blocking flow therethrough, movement of said plunger against the force of said spring means being adapted to create a pressure in said fuel chamber sufficient to open said valve means and admit fuel to said combustion chamber, and manually controlled means for limiting the movement of said plunger against said spring to meter the quantity of fuel supplied to said combustion chamber.

2. A charge forming device for an internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston slidably disposed in said cylinder, said cylinder including a head portion coacting with said piston to define a combustion chamber, an opening formed in said cylinder head portion and communicating with said combustion chamber, and a fuel injection mechanism mounted within said opening and adapted to supply a metered quantity of fuel to said chamber, said fuel metering mechanism comprising a iirst casing including a portion adapted to threadably support said mechanism within said cylinder head opening, a second casing member, a iiexible metal diaphragm yperipherally clamped between said casing members, a plunger member centrally secured to said iiexible diaphragm, said plunger being slidably disposed in said first and second casing members, said plunger including ends respectively terminating at said combustion and fuel chambers, said first casing member including a guideway for slidably supporting one end of said plunger, said diaphragm enacting with said first casing member to deiine a pressure chamber, a plurality of passage means formed in said first casing member to communicate said combustion chamber with said diaphragm pressure chamber, a seat formed on said plunger member, a spring supported at one end upon said seat and the other end being adapted to seat upon said second casing member, a source of fuel, said second casing including a fuel chamber in communication with said fuel source, said plunger including a longitudinal passage communicating said fuel chamber with said combustion chamber, and valve means disposed in said longitudinal passage to control fuel iiow therethrough, spring means normally biasing said valve into a closed position preventing fuel iiow from said fuel chamber to said combustion chamber, combustion chamber pressure being adapted to act on said iiexible drive diaphragm to move said plunger against the force of said spring, combustion chamber pressure-induced movement of said plunger being adapted to increase the pressure on the fuel in said fuel chamber sufficiently to open said valve means and admit fuel to said combustion chamber in a quantity proportional to the distance of plunger movement, and manually controlled means for limiting 5 the amount of movement of said plunger to meter the quantity `of -fuel supplied to said combustion chamber.

3. A charge forming device as set forth in claim 2` in which said passage means comprises a plurality of eir- Y 8 formed in said guideway, said splines and said plunger coacting to form passages communicating the combustion chamber and said pressure chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ounrferentially spaced and longitudinally extending splines 10 RICHARD B. VJELKTNSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CHARGE FORMING DEVICE FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING A CYLINDER, A PISTON SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDER INCLUDING A HEAD PORTION COACTING WITH SAID PISTON TO FORM A COMBUSTION CHAMBER, AN OPENING FORMED IN SAID CYLINDER IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, AND A FUEL INJECTION MECHANISM DISPOSED IN SAID OPENING, SAID FUEL INJECTION MECHANISM COMPRISING, A PAIR OF CASING MEMBERS, AN ELONGATED PLUNGER SLIDABLY SUPPORTED PROXIMATE ITS ENDS IN SAID CASING MEMBERS, DIAPHRAGM MEANS SECURED TO SAID PLUNGER, SAID DIAPHRAGM BEING EXPOSED TO THE PRESSURE IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, SPRING MEANS URGING SAID PLUNGER TO A SEATING POSITION AGAINST THE FORCE OF COMBUSTION CHAMBER PRESSURE, A FUEL CHAMBER, SAID PLUNGER INCLUDING ENDS RESPECTIVELY TERMINATING AT SAID COMBUSTION AND FUEL CHAMBERS, A LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE FORMED THROUGH SAID PLUNGER AND COMMUNICATING SAID FUEL CHAMBER WITH SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, VALVE MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH AND MOVABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE AND NORMALLY BIASED TO A POSITION BLOCKING FLOW THERETHROUGH, MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO CREATE A PRESSURE IN SAID FUEL CHAMBER SUFFICIENT TO OPEN SAID VALVE MEANS AND ADMIT FUEL TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, AND MANUALLY CONTROLLED MEANS FOR LIMITING THE MOVEMEANT OF SAID PLUNGER AGAINST SAID SPRING TO METER THE QUANTITY OF FUEL SUPPLIED TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER. 